This invention relates generally to structural configurations which control the operating temperature of a carburetor and more particularly concerns those which limit the maximum temperature of a carburetor during operation of the engine to which it is connected.
During the operation of the conventional exposed internal combustion engine, the temperature of the carburetor is normally the lowest temperature in the immediate vicinity of the engine. This condition results from the evaporation of the fuel within the carburetor which chills the air contacting the carburetor producing an extreme cooling effect in the carburetor. The accepted practice to overcome this cooling which can cause internal icing of the carburetor is to utilize a structure that provides a flow of exhaust air from the engine's exhaust system over or into the carburetor.
With the recent implementation of regulations limiting the sound emitted by tractors, there has been a trend towards enclosing sections of the tractor which act as sound producing sources. One of these enclosed areas is the section which supports the vehicle's engine. To effectively silence this sound source, extensive enclosures are utilized with the enclosures including the carburetor and air cleaner within their boundaries, thereby causing a reversal of the prior temperature control problems involving the carburetor. As a result of enclosing the engine, the natural flow of air over the engine and the external attachments thereto has been severely reduced with the operating temperature of the carburetor reaching a level which causes a vapor lock in the fuel system that stops the fuel flow.
Since the tractor configuration and operation does not lend itself to the use of a complete enclosure with complicated duct work for cooling and since the conventional systems teach only the addition of heat to the carburetor, it is accordingly an object of the present invention to provide a tractor having an engine enclosure with a cooling arrangement for the engine carburetor.
With more particularity, it is an object of the present invention to provide a carburetor cooling arrangement for a tractor with an air cooled engine.
Further, it is an object of the present invention to provide a cooling arrangement for the carburetor of an air cooled lawn and garden tractor.
Finally, it is an object of the present invention to provide a cooling arrangement which maintains the efficiency of the fuel system while minimizing the increase in the expense of the tractor.